The Erlkönig
by Bridgitta Nguyen
Summary: A story about a boy's encounter with the Erlkönig. Based off the poem Der Erlkönig by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.


This was my English project I finished in a few days. It's extremely short, and based off of the poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The teacher didn't tell me what my score was, but he said he was impressed. Well. Without further ado, I present to you The Erlkönig.

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><p>"Come to me child," the voice hissed. It was a beautiful voice, yet something held me back. I hesitated, and the figure noticed. The figure beckoned me closer, gracefully gliding toward me. "Or…."<p>

I awoke with a start. I was panting and sweating, the figure had come again. I thought of my dream, the tall, hooded silhouette nearing me with an inviting voice. I shivered, fear chilling me to the bone. My teddy bear was squished in an awkward position next to me, drenched with sweat as much as I was.

I let out a painful wail, and began to bawl uncontrollably. Down the hall, a light was turned on and footsteps neared my room. I gasped and backed against the backboard of my bed, and again seized my teddy. My sobs quieted as a familiar figure walked in. "Another nightmare," my father's voice echoed eerily, and I relaxed, but was still unwilling to set Teddy aside. He walked in cautiously, sitting on the edge of my bed and inspecting me carefully.

My father was a great man with a warm personality. He was moderately tall with intelligent emerald eyes, thinning amber hair, and a clean face that was now etched deeply with worry. "Must have been a bad one this time," he concluded, grasping my hand. He glanced sideways at the bright orange bottle sitting on my bedside and hesitantly reached for it.

I whimpered and squirmed away from the bottle. Father sighed heavily. "I don't like this any more than you do," he said with a firm voice. With those words, he unscrewed the cap and took out a large sleeping pill, then put the bottle aside. I opened my mouth and squeezed my eyes shut as if it would block out the taste. Father put the pill on my tongue, told me to swallow, and I obeyed. I felt the bitter taste spread and I shuddered.

I fell back onto my bed and buried my face in my pillow, knowing it wouldn't be long until the drowsiness began to kick in. I closed my eyes, steadied my breathing, and pretended to sleep so that my father would leave. Within a few minutes, he did leave. He left the door open as he left and I was able to hear what he was doing. There was a click and a couple of beeping noises. He spoke in intervals, "Yes, for my son… Is tomorrow possible?... That's great… around twelve?... I see… Thank you." I heard the phone being set down and heavy thuds becoming fainter and fainter.

I took a deep breath and slowly started to drift away.

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><p>"C'mon. You need to wake up now… we have to go in two hours." I grudgingly woke up after being nudged awake by Father. I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and yawned loudly. He looked at me for a few moments and suddenly swept me in his arms. "This should wake you up," he said carrying me down the stairs and setting me on my seat in front of the dining table.<p>

I hiccupped through giggles. Glancing down at the table, everything was already set, not a thing out of place. Father set cereal and milk on the table, sat in his seat, and looked up at me. Squirming under his gaze, I reached for the cereal and followed suit.

"So, what are your dreams about anyway," he questioned me in a curious voice. I gulped down my cereal loudly. "How would a realist like my father believe me?" I thought to myself. "Well it's nothing much…" I said with a hint of desperation in my voice. He looked at me with slight suspicion, "I think that it's better for you to talk about it. Let it out. It might make you feel better."

I thought back to my nightmares reluctantly and found that my hands were subconsciously looking for my teddy, which was still upstairs. "Where to begin…" I pondered. I series of flashes came across my mind and I spoke with a slightly wavering voice.

"There's a creature. The Erlkönig, I believe. At least, that's one of the things he told me. He also mentioned that he was a king. He invites me over, half of me wants to go with him, and the other half doesn't. He has two sides. One of his sides, the first side, is a king with a crown and a robe as red as blood. The Erlkönig has dark hair that covers his face, and he invites me over with the most kind and intriguing voice I've ever heard."

I paused to catch my breath, recall the memories, and look to see my father's reaction. It was exactly as I expected. He was hearing with intent but empty eyes and focusing more on chewing his cereal at a constant rate. I resumed, "He shows his first side in the beginning of my nightmares. Then, he shows his second side. It is the Erlkönig as a mere silhouette, tall and hooded with dark robes. He glides instead of walking. Then, with a harsh voice, he threatens me and then… and then… I wake up."

I began to sob. Father came over and patted my back saying, "Shh, don't worry. The Erlkönig isn't real. He isn't out to get you. Here, finish your food and we're going to go to your psychologist." "Can…" I said weakly, "…can I take Teddy?" He nodded, and I could swear that I saw a tear leak from the corner of his eye.

After eating and grabbing my teddy bear, I waited for Father outside. I glanced around the suburban neighborhood, noticing that no one was there. The only sign of people inhabiting the area seemed to be Father's car, sitting alone in the driveway. Just then, I saw a shadow dancing past me, behind the house. I looked around, being the only person in sight.

While wondering, Father appeared. "Okay, hop in. Don't worry, it will only take us a few minutes." I climbed in the back seat, strapped on my seatbelt and waiting patiently while looking out the window. After waiting for what felt like forever, I looked up to see father attempting to start the car. However, screeches of pain were emitted from the car. Abruptly, I covered my ears and cried out loud.

Father got out, opened to hood of the car, and slammed it back down almost suddenly. He poked his head in the car and said, "Well, someone's been tampering with the car battery. There's no use sitting and waiting for a miracle. We still have to go or we'll be late." He got me out of the car, propelled me onto his back, and headed toward the hospital at a light jog.

I thought back to the shadow I saw earlier. 'Should I tell Father about it? …No, he wouldn't believe me. He would make up some excuse just to make me feel better.' I interrupted my mental argument with myself to speak to my father.

"Father?"  
>"Mm?"<br>"Can I ask you a question?"  
>"Of course you can. What is it?"<br>"Why isn't anybody in the neighborhood today?"

Father hesitated and looked up warily at the sky. "There's probably a fair or something. I'll make sure I take you next time, okay?" I murmured a response incoherently and it was silent from then on.

The trees rustled behind me, and a shadow pass by again. I jumped and noticed a sudden, bone-chilling breeze. I glanced up to see the crystal clear sky suddenly turn a cloudy, mournful grey. I huddled closer to my father. As we continued, the surroundings abruptly became darker, and soon, it was thundering.

I nearly screamed as I saw my nightmare come to life slightly behind me. I saw a wide grin appear, the only bit of face I saw from the creature. I clutched my father's shirt and attempted to disappear in it. "What's wrong," Father questioned me carefully, turning his head to see my face. "Him…" I said, pointing. "There… there's nothing there," he responded. "Can you see it," I asked, "The Erlkönig? The creature with the glinting crown and cloak?" Looking around for a rational reason, he said, "It's just the fog, see, it's just setting in."

The Erlkönig spoke in its inviting, drawling voice, "Come to me child, come with me. Look at your pathetic father. I can entertain you, care about your interests, and give you the best time of your life," My hands clenched into tight fists. "I can take you to a beach where there are plentiful colorful flowers. You must like flowers, why of course. If not, I could show you my mother's beautiful robes, all skillfully crafted from gold. Yes, gold, of course you must like gold, riches, and possessing beautiful things." The Erlkönig twirled his crown around carelessly, and inviting, almost taunting me. With this, he produced flowers and robes from his bewitched hands.

I was enraged, but my fear took over. A scared whisper escaped my lips, "Father, do you hear what he is offering to me? " My father began to jog faster, "Don't worry, it is just the sound of the wind whistling through the trees, nothing out of the ordinary. Smirking, the Erlkönig continued, "You such a fine child, come with me, my daughters will serve you what you desire. They will dance for you each night and lull you to sleep softly with music and dance." I turned to Father and heard a voice behind me, "What can he do about anything, he doesn't even believe his own son." When I turned to look, it was the Erlkönig, now accompanied by his attractive but fierce appearing daughters.

"Child, come with me, I love you and your beauty." He paused and seemed to be studying my face. "Well, if you aren't going to come willingly, I may have to discipline you. That wouldn't be much fun would it?" Slowly, the King of the Devils frowned and his true form was shown. His daughters, crown, and robe all seemed to dissolve. He turned into the dark hooded figure that appeared in the final part of my nightmares. "I guess I would be living the last part of my nightmare," I thought painfully to myself.

Seeing what was under Erlkönig's hood, was absolutely unexplainable, grotesque, and disturbing. Looking at this, I screamed for help, but by then, everything was a blur. I felt pressure at my throat and the whole world blacked out.

* * *

><p>The father looked at his child moaning in pain, which drove him to run toward the hospital in the violent rain with all his might. They rushed the now motionless child to the emergency room and the father anxiously awaited the results.<p>

The doctor came in with a somber expression on his face. He sat down beside the father on the cold, hard bench. He began, "I'm sorry. We could not save him." He paused to look at the father's expression, which was hit hard by realization. He croaked out the words, "But… how?" The doctor sighed and continued, " There is not too much good news. This is based off some of the information you gave us, and the child's condition. Your son was quite a rare case. He was suffering from schizophrenia, rare in children, and was hallucinating. Sadly, these hallucinations were driving him insane. He also had a weak heart, and his last hallucination gave him an adrenaline rush that put his body into overdrive. His heart could not handle it, and stopped…I'm sorry for your loss."

The doctor rushed out of the room, the father began to weep, and the Erlkönig laughed at both of the oblivious souls.


End file.
